Barlings Additions

[jguss]

well beefeater, this will make jesse very happy when he gets up and sees your post (he's on west coast time). the niblick has been known for a while, but this is the first example I've actually seen. can you tell me what letters appear on the base of the bowl beneath the "barling's make"? it appears to be "MA", but the resolution on my phone isn't that good.
as far as I know there is no surviving catalog that shows the pipe (or for that matter, surviving barling catalog of any type from the 1930s). I believe jesse was referring to various industry mentions, notably price lists. what I can tell you based on a review of those lists is that the niblick was apparently introduced in 1938, and produced through about 1941. I would therefore assume that your pipe dates from that three year window. by the time the war entered its third year pipe production had been curtailed throughout the industry, particularly for consumers on the home front. barling, for example, had thinned its product line by about two thirds, at least according to offerings identified in industry price lists.
as for the niblick, it was, except for the pipelet, the lowest priced pipe sold by barling at that time, selling for 8/6 in 1938, and 10/6 in its last year (1941).
an interesting pipe for sure; thank you for sharing it.

 

[cigrmaster]

Very cool looking Barling. If the stem is original it should have the Barling cross on the top of the stem.

 

[dmcmtk]

Nice old pre-war Barling's.

 

[misterlowercase]

Beefeater,

excellent score!
Congrats and my compliments on your very good eye,

and thanks for sharing.

:clap:
Due to your "job lot" descrip I looked up some recent auctions,

was the Niblick amongst these sortings from Richie & Co.?

The good for hipsters in the titles is priceless,

and there are some real gems scattered in these auctions it looks like...

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=pipes%20job%20lot%20good%20for%20hipsters&LH_PrefLoc=2&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684
Jon,

great info as usual, many thanks for weighing in,

your input is always illuminating to read.
To add a little on the price lists and throw a bit of curve ball,

I have a very tatty copy of the 1917 Year Book which lists the Niblick:

...the only other entries for Barling are the E.B. and W.B. listed separately,

and the Maturiar.
Since this thread may now land someone researching Maturiar,

I'll go ahead and post a few newspaper adverts I found related to that...
From the Sydney Mail,

circa 1927,1928, and 1930...

The above was found via google news archive and is a pretty good place for finding stuff and I would greatly encourage people to have a browse and share here any uncovered gems.
Sometimes it's easiest to stick with very narrow phraseology,

i.e.:

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22all-british+barling%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
Another great research reference are the old Australian newspapers of which there is a mighty fine and comprehensive database available:

http://trove.nla.gov.au/
Here's a couple found there...

It's interesting that the Niblick name uses the same script font as the Maturiar,

so good to see stuff like this as it is all so exceedingly scarce!

And if by chance if anyone lands here looking into Freak,

this other thread has good info suchwise:

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/barling-acquisitions-part-deux
Again,

congrats Beefeater on the great score!
::

 

[jguss]

hey troy,

that's a great catch on the niblick dating! because it didn't appear in the price lists from 1930-1936 (I'm missing 1937) I was lazy and assumed that 1938 was the year of introduction. thanks to your post I know better. I just went back to my other records and found the niblick listed in the brand directories from 1921-1934 (I don't have earlier years), so evidently a pipe was made under that name for some time. was its disappearance from the brand directories in the mid-thirties a sign that it was out of production for a few years? or does it mean nothing at all? beats me. and in any event it's nice to see what one looks like.

jon

 

[misterlowercase]

...and in any event it's nice to see what one looks like.

No doubt about that!

::
1921-1936 is an excellent spread of the most interesting time period imho,

great to have sequential copies to cross reference.
Did you scan/photocopy them from the Arents library?
Or do you have physical editions?
The old price lists are of tremendous usefulness!

::

 

[dmcmtk]

Troy, is FORTE in that 1917 list?

 

[dmcmtk]

Due to your "job lot" descrip I looked up some recent auctions,

Some nice old English pipes in those "Job Lots"...especially here,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOB-LOT-OF-6-VINTAGE-BRIAR-ESTATE-PIPES-OTHERS-GOOD-FOR-HIPSTERS-/331830770031?hash=item4d42a7b96f%3Ag%3AjLoAAOSw1DtXDoz1&nma=true&si=krPkqytdGZjpVIHOVcPrtA6BZwA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
and here,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOB-LOT-OF-6-VINTAGE-BRIAR-ESTATE-PIPES-GOOD-FOR-HIPSTERS-/331823379151?hash=item4d4236f2cf%3Ag%3AjwAAAOSwWBJXA%7EFD&nma=true&si=krPkqytdGZjpVIHOVcPrtA6BZwA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[misterlowercase]

Afraid not, Dave.
I did a quick check with other copies, I only have the '17,'31, '32, '35, and '62 editions...

...closest was Fortress in the '35 listed under F.W. Cole.

 

[misterlowercase]

...and here,

that little Dunhill is a goodlooker!!!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOB-LOT-OF-12-VINTAGE-BRIAR-ESTATE-PIPES-GOOD-FOR-HIPSTERS-/331824224592?hash=item4d4243d950%3Ag%3AxRoAAOSwbwlXBSBu&nma=true&si=xIsUHo6MeM8ug05hc2l6jG%252BjqFE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
::

 

[dmcmtk]

that little Dunhill is a goodlooker!!!

Saw it, the rim looks a little "rough"...

 

[dmcmtk]

Afraid not, Dave.
I did a quick check with other copies, I only have the '17,'31, '32, '35, and '62 editions...

...closest was Fortress in the '35 listed under F.W. Cole.

It was a Barling's pipe, best date reference from jguss 1930's early '40's. I was just curious.

 

[beefeater33]

Thanks for all the replies guys!
jguss- thank you for that information. Before I received the pipe, I had not even heard of a "Niblick" before! So much to learn!

The markings under the "Barling Make" are actually 71A. Its the shape # I believe.

Congrats and my compliments on your very good eye,

and thanks for sharing.

Thanks Troy, and Thank YOU for sharing!! You're contributions are always a fascinating, educational read..... really should be in a book form for sure...... :worship:
On the good eye part,... well,.... I got lucky, right place at the right time........

I was going to email the seller for more info, but have lost out doing that in the past. So I "pulled the trigger" and hoped for the best. I bought two of the "job lots" one day and the seller combined shipping. I then bought another a few days later...... That one is still in transit....... :D
I'm going to start a new thread called "job lots"..... I don't want to derail this thread.......this one is for "Niblicks and Freaks".........hey, thats got a good ring to it..... niblicks and freaks, niblicks and freaks...... :D

 

[dmcmtk]

I bought two of the "job lots" one day and the seller combined shipping. I then bought another a few days later...... That one is still in transit

So, which ones? I hope you bought this one...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOB-LOT-OF-6-VINTAGE-BRIAR-ESTATE-PIPES-OTHERS-GOOD-FOR-HIPSTERS-/331830770031?hash=item4d42a7b96f%3Ag%3AjLoAAOSw1DtXDoz1&nma=true&si=krPkqytdGZjpVIHOVcPrtA6BZwA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[beefeater33]

Dave-

Yes, that one is still in transit....... I just started a new thread, as to not derail this one too much.

 

[misterlowercase]

Matt,

thanks for the kind words.

I think all of us Duke Street Irregulars here around these parts have curated some pretty damngood archival reference materials and it's pretty amazing just how much goodstuff is here freely open in the forums.
:puffpipe:

It was a Barling's pipe, best date reference from jguss 1930's early '40's. I was just curious.

Dave,

ah, thanks for that clarification --- I had lazily just checked the indexes for a quick look and didn't see anything,

after reading that it was a Barling I went back and looked under their listing and did indeed find it in a 1931 edition.
I went ahead and took a photo and decided I may as well captcha the entire pipe section as it's only a few pages and it puts things in perspective to be able to contrast and compare pricing levels and such...
...you'll notice the lack of Dunhill, these lists were put out by 2 different publishers, this one is from Cigar & Tobacco World - I hesitate here to speak further of these things because I love finding physical copies of them and they are exceedingly scarce as it is, and sometimes highly priced --- anyway, I think that both publishers were pretty stringent about not listing a maker unless the maker paid a fee for the service (bold lettering cost extra!) so even these old price lists, although very comprehensive, are still lacking and incomplete, they need to be used in conjunction with other period printed materials to try and form a better picture, but those references too are incredibly rare and in many cases non-existent...
...little firms like the inventors of my beloved Velvan Plug, Wm. Ruddell, are rarely included in such lists for example, and in other cases it may be an incomplete listing of available stuff or whatever...
...I was delighted when I noted the Orlik Dugout was top range selling at the same price as their smooth Antique,

I love seeing things like that, and knowing that the Dugout was being made at least for close to a full decade if not longer...
...anyway,

here be them pages:

Bonus material.
A few old adverts from the Aussie newspaper archive mentioned earlier.
:
1907

:
1912

:
1923

:
All these BBB ads circa 1926

:
Tobacconist ad circa 1928

:

 

[ssjones]

Fantastic stuff indeed! Has anyone ever laid eyes on a Barling's Shape 366? Gorgeous.

 

[dmcmtk]

The FORTE 1284 I found, with FORTE below the arched BARLING'S MAKE (difficult to see in the picture). Stem is not the original, but a nicely grained piece of briar, and it still has an elegant look to it.

 

[dmcmtk]

Didn't get this in before the edit window closed, but the above pipe is about group 2-3 in size, weighs in at 25 grams, just a very cool pipe!

 

[misterlowercase]

Al,

I didn't see a 366 on the YOW shape list...

http://yeoldebriars.com/grade_barling.html

...I agree with you that it's a mighty fine looker!
Dave,

Nice! Super elegant I say,

Barling owned the pot shape, most other makers come off as clunky, but Barling perfected the shape with a gracious balance.
:
:
Here's a couple of more tidbits from the Oz newspaper archive:
advert circa 1936

...and,

this pix are quite amazing!!!!
Windowdressing the Barling pipes,

circa 1953

!!!!!!
&
Miscellany:
sign of a good smoking pipe:

thick dense cake

(sad side effect: induces cracking!)

http://cigarpipes.exblog.jp/16871098/
:
This,

is a neat shape with a niftey beadline:

http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n170799955
:
...let's bring in the rest of the family!
cyg-smoker

http://yeoldebriars.com/barling023.html
:
pipelet

http://yeoldebriars.com/barling015.html
:
barling desk pipe

http://yeoldebriars.com/barling020.html
::